St Magnus Festival recently announced the appointment of a new Artistic Director, to succeed Glenys Hughes when she steps down after this June's Festival. Now the Festival Board has announced the appointment of a Festival Manager to complete the team. Tanya McGill has been appointed to this full-time post, which will commence in July. She will be based in the Festival office in Victoria Street, Kirkwall, where she will work alongside Festival Administrator, Angela Henderson.

Tanya will work in close partnership with Alasdair Nicolson, the new Artistic Director, and her role will include responsibility for the smooth running of the organisation, the realisation of artistic plans, financial management, and liaison with community and school groups and with the Festival's voluntary workforce.

Tanya is currently Cultural Coordinator Manager for Orkney Islands Council, a post she has held since January 2008. She was previously Northern Ireland Development Manager for NESTA (National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts). Prior to that, she held the posts of Development Manager and Lottery Director for the Arts Council of Northern Ireland.

Festival Director, Glenys Hughes, said, ‘Tanya brings to the Festival a wealth of experience in arts management. As OIC's Cultural Coordinator Manager she has already worked with many of the schools and community groups whose involvement is so central to the ethos of the Festival, and her Arts Council posts have given her an understanding of funding issues from both sides of the fence. With Tanya's appointment, we now have an exceptionally strong team in place who will, I'm sure, carry the Festival forward to a new and exciting stage in its development'.

Festival Board chairman, George Rendall , said, ‘Glenys is synonymous with St Magnus Festival, having been largely responsible for building it from small beginnings to the internationally-renowned event that it is now. There was therefore real trepidation when she told us she was stepping down after 2010. However, she has selflessly guided us in the process of finding her successors, and I am glad to report that the appointment of Alasdair and Tanya has delighted everyone – there is a renewed conviction that the Festival will continue to excite and innovate without losing any of its Orkney character.'

Tanya McGill commented, “I am delighted to have been offered the opportunity to be a key part of the new Festival team responsible for the future running of one of the UK's foremost festivals .I am in awe of the commitment which St Magnus Festival inspires in the many volunteers who give up their time freely to ensure that it remains grounded in the community of Orkney. It will be a privilege and a challenge to follow in Glenys's footsteps and I look forward to taking up my post this summer.”

Since the fund was set up, seven week-long music camps have taken place. The forty orphaned children who were recruited in 2007 have become enthusiastic and committed participants and in 2008 six new children were recruited, so that the number now stands at forty six. It has been inspiring to see the children, who are among the poorest in the country, develop in skills and confidence and in their ability to speak English.

The project is led by Festival Director, Glenys Hughes, in partnership with musical colleagues in Malawi together with teacher friends from Orkney who lead art/craft and sports activities. Between visits of the Orkney team, the Malawian tutors organise occasional weekend drumming and dance workshops for groups of children and singing days for the whole choir.

The Likhubula Children's Choir, as it is known locally, has given six public concerts and is gaining a reputation in southern Malawi . Three of the oldest children, Omega, Ufulu and Veronica, have been successful in their primary school leaving exams and have been awarded bursaries from the fund which will enable them to continue their education. Secondary education is not free in Malawi and while the fees are modest in our terms they are beyond the reach of most of the children in the choir who, without financial help, would simply have to leave school.

Glenys says: ‘This is a long-term project: our hope is that through the activities and experiences offered and the opportunity to continue their education, the children will develop into confident and educated young people who have high expectations of themselves and eventually an ability to contribute to the development of their country.'

A generous donation from the Association for Cultural Exchange enabled the project to continue into 2009. If you would like to help by contributing towards the bursary fund, please contact Glenys at the Festival Office.

September 2009